S5474 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 26, 2012 

On July 26, 1990, when he signed ADA 

into law, President George Herbert 

Walker Bush spoke with great eloquence. And I will never forget his final 

words before taking up his pen. He 

said, ‘‘Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.’’ 

Mr. President, today, that wall is indeed falling. And we must join together, on a bipartisan basis, to continue this progress. 

f 

VA AND NIH JOINT PARKINSON’S 

DISEASE RESEARCH 

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, as 

chairman of the Senate Committee on 

Veterans’ Affairs, I would like to take 

a moment to recognize the Department 

of Veterans Affairs and the National 

Institutes of Health, NIH, for their research into an innovative surgery that 

has demonstrated success in improving 

the stability of muscle movement for 

veterans with Parkinson’s disease. VA 

and NIH’s joint research collaboration 

regarding deep brain stimulation therapy has furthered the medical community’s understanding of Parkinson’s 

disease and will be incredibly valuable 

to doctors and Parkinson’s patients 

throughout the world. 

For many individuals, medication 

alone is insufficient when it comes to 

dealing with neurological diseases such 

as Parkinson’s disease. VA and NIH 

conducted research into an alternative 

treatment option known as deep brain 

stimulation therapy to test the longterm outcomes of the treatment. Deep 

brain stimulation therapy is a surgical 

procedure that implants electrodes 

into specific stimulation sites within 

the brain. These electrodes are then 

able to send electrical pulses to areas 

of the brain that controls movement 

and motor control and helps mitigate 

the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease as 

well as reduce some of the side effects 

caused by medication. Thanks to deep 

brain stimulation therapy, thousands 

of individuals suffering from Parkinson’s disease have experienced a dramatic improvement in their quality of 

life. 

Since deep brain stimulation therapy 

was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, as a therapy for 

Parkinson’s disease in the late 1990s, 

there has been an ongoing debate about 

which stimulation sites within the 

brain provide the best and most durable treatment outcomes and how long 

those results last. To better understand the role that stimulation sites 

play in deep brain stimulation therapy, 

VA and NIH conducted a 3-year clinical 

trial. The trial ultimately found that 

the benefits gained from deep brain 

stimulation therapy remained after 3 

years and the benefits from the surgery 

were not dependent by which stimulation site was selected for implantation. 

This is the type of research that is 

crucial to providing the care that our 

Nation’s veterans need and deserve. 

Thanks to the hard work of VA and 

NIH researchers, the 40,000 veterans 

living with Parkinson’s disease whom 

VA cares for along with Parkinson’s 

patients across the world will be better 

equipped to make informed decisions 

about their treatment options. 

In closing, I commend VA and NIH 

for their efforts to combat a disease 

that affects so many of America’s veterans. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO AMBASSADOR L. 

BRUCE LAINGEN 

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise 

today to honor an accomplished diplomat and distinguished public servant, 

Ambassador L. Bruce Laingen. On August 6, Bruce will celebrate his 90th 

birthday. I want to take this momentous occasion to reflect on his contributions and efforts in support of our 

Nation. Despite the personal sacrifice, 

Bruce honorably served the United 

States with expert skill and dedication 

throughout his long career. 

Bruce was born and raised on a farm 

in southern Minnesota. He joined the 

U.S. Navy, and served our Nation during World War II. Bruce received his officer training at Wellesley College in 

1943, and attended the University of 

Dubuque in Iowa for general Naval 

training. He was a commissioned officer in the Naval Supply Corps. Bruce 

served in the Pacific with amphibious 

forces in the Philippine campaigns. 

After World War II, Bruce graduated 

from St. Olaf College in Minnesota in 

1947. He went on to further his education at the University of Minnesota, 

where he received a Master’s degree in 

International Relations in 1949. 

As a result of his passion and interest 

in what was happening across the 

globe, Bruce dedicated 38 years to the 

Foreign Service. He joined the Foreign 

Service in 1949, and served this Nation 

across the world in Germany, Iran, 

Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The United 

States was very fortunate to have 

Bruce serve as U.S. Ambassador to 

Malta from 1977 to 1979. 

In June 1979, Bruce returned to Iran 

to serve as the U.S. Charge d’Affaires 

in the wake of the Iranian revolution. 

Within a few months of his arrival, a 

group of demonstrators took over the 

U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The students 

and militants were protesting the 

United States’ relationship with the 

government of Iran and the Shah’s 

entry into the United States on humanitarian grounds. On November 4, 

1979, Bruce was taken hostage along 

with more than 60 other Americans. 

For a total of 444 days, he and 51 other 

Americans were held hostage in Iran. 

Throughout the entire ordeal, he 

worked diligently to protect the hostages and resolve the crisis. He showed 

true professionalism and strength. In 

his book Yellow Ribbon: The Secret 

Journal of Bruce Laingen, Bruce describes his personal perspective and 

thoughts about the events that took 

place over those 444 days. 

Shortly after Bruce’s capture, his 

wife Penelope ‘‘Penne’’ Laingen tied a 

yellow ribbon around an oak tree on 

their lawn in Maryland to symbolize 

her hope for a safe return for her husband and all of the hostages. Penne encouraged others to show their support 

and determination to be reunited with 

their loved ones through the use of yellow ribbons. The original yellow ribbon 

was later donated to the Library of 

Congress. It is because of her efforts 

that Penne is credited with founding 

the yellow ribbon campaign during the 

Iran hostage crisis. 

After his release, Bruce became the 

Vice President of the National Defense 

University until he retired from the 

Foreign Service in 1987. He went on to 

be the Executive Director of the National Commission on Public Service 

from 1987 until 1990. Between 1991 and 

2006, Bruce was President of the American Academy of Diplomacy. 

Bruce continued to share his expertise and knowledge through his efforts 

on several distinguished Boards of Directors including No Greater Love, A 

Presidential Classroom for Young 

Americans, the Mercersburg Academy 

in Pennsylvania, and the National Defense University Foundation. I had the 

honor of working with Bruce on the 

Board of Directors of the Presidential 

Classroom. He has been a strong advocate for this wonderful program, which 

encourages students to learn about 

how their government works and aspire 

to leadership through public service. 

Bruce has received many honors as a 

result of his brave service to our Nation. He was awarded the Department 

of State’s Award for Valor, the Department of Defense’s Distinguished Public 

Service Medal, the Presidential Meritorious Award, and the Foreign Service 

Cup. 

I am grateful for his willingness to 

serve our Nation and provide strong 

leadership in implementing the foreign 

policy goals of the United States. 

Bruce, Penne, and their three sons Bill, 

Chip, and Jim have given so much to 

our Nation. 

f 

CROWDFUNDING 

Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I rise 

today to discuss an issue that I and 

many of my colleagues are very excited 

about: crowdfunding, which allows 

startups and small businesses to harness the power of the Internet to pool 

investments from ordinary Americans 

intrigued by their ideas. These ideas 

can range from revolutionary new 

technologies to simple projects that 

can improve communities in need. 

If crowdfunding is going to take off, 

this new market needs to inspire confidence in both investors and small 

businesses. That is why in December of 

2011, I introduced S. 1970 with Senators 

MICHAEL BENNET and MARY LANDRIEU

and in March of this year the bipartisan, compromise crowdfunding 

amendment with Senators MICHAEL

BENNET and SCOTT BROWN. That 

amendment passed the Senate by a 

vote of 64 to 35 and was included in the 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with SENATE